Cable reel



Aug, 9,'1938. F. CARTLIDGE' 2,126,172

` V CABLE REEL l Filed July 29, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l @fof/2@ Patented Aug. 9, i938 unirse stares y 2,l265l72 rarest orties CABLE REEL Frank Cartlidge, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a.

Y corporation of llllineis Application July 29, 1935, Serial No. 33,714

2 Claims.

This invention relates tc improvements in cable reels of the type adapted to mounted on loadn ing machines which load by movement along a t mine track remote from a source of power.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a new and improved device of the class L reel or wound thereon while the drive motor is rotating in a direction to wind cable on the reel and the machine is moving in a forward or return direction. along the track during the gathering operation, and which is also so arf; ranged that tension may be maintained on the L vation oi' the rearward portion. of the machine illustrating the drive from the loading machine motor and the mounting of the cable reel on the machine;

Figure 3 is a partial rear end View of the dez vice shown in Figure l;

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the gathering reel with parts broken away and shown in substantially vertical section; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 55 oi Figure Ll.

In the drawings the embodiment oi my invention illustrated is shown as affording a means for conducting electric power to a loading machine iti, oi the ordinary track mounted type. Said loading machine consists of an inclined gathering and loading element i l extending forwardly from a track-mounted main frame i2 and a discharge conveyor l@ disposed beneath and extending rearwardly of said gathering and loading element io: discharging material gathered thereby onto a mine car or other suitable receptacle, and said machine gathers and loads material in a well known manner as said gathering and loading element is swung across the front of the track and as the entire machine is moved backwardly and forwardly along the track.

A motor I5, herein shown as being an electric motor of an ordinary construction, is provided on the rearward end of the main frame I2 and affords a source oi power for the major operating parts of the machine. Said motor is provided 4:with a longitudinally extending armature shaft i?, the forward end of which shaft serves as a means for driving the main operating parts ci the machine and the rearward end of which afiords a means for driving a cable reel 2l.

The cable reel 2l is of an ordinary drum type construction and, as herein shown, is arranged to pay orf cable directly therefrom laterally to either side oi the machine. Said cable reel is mounted on a shaft 24 extending longitudinally of the machine which is supported at its ends in a rearward bracket 25 secured to said main frame above the lower end thereof and a forward bracket 26 extending from said motor.

A suitableV current conducting means is attached to said cable reel and adapted to be wound thereon or unwcund therefrom. Said current conducting means, as herein shown, consists of a double conductor electric cable 2l. Said cable is adapted to extend laterally from the machine through a cable guiding member 28 consisting of a plurality of pairs of perpendicularly disposed rollers 29, 29 so arranged that said cable may pass therebetween and be trained upwardly or downwardly therefrom and forwardly or rearwardly of the machine. The free ends of said cable are adapted to be connected to a source of power remote from the machine proper in the usual manner for conducting current thereto.` The opposite ends of said cable are adapted to be connected to suitable collector rings (not shown) mounted within a housing 3l extending rearwardly of said drum and having a main conductor cable 33 connected thereto.

.With reference now particularly to Figures 4 and 5 illustrating in detail the novel means for yieldably driving said winding drum or reel, a pinion i9 is mounted on the rearward end of the motor shaft ll and meshes with and drives an internal gear 2li. Said internal gear serves as a driving member for said cable reel and has an annular surface extending from one side thereof inwardly towards its center which is mounted on an annular ring 34 in a suitable manner, such as welding. Said annular ring extends inwardly of said internal gear and has an annular disk 35 secured to the outer face thereof, which disk is secured to a hub 36 by means of suitable cap screws. Said hub is journaled on-the shaft 24 for free rotation with respect thereto in an ordinary manner, which will not herein be described in detail since it is no portion of my present invention.

An annular flange 31 extends outwardly -from the iiange of the reel 2l adjacent said driving member. Said flange extends inwardly of the inner periphery of the annular ring 34 and the outer periphery of said flange is engaged with a bearing member 38 secured to and extending inwardly from the inner periphery of said annular ring.

A pair of oppositely disposed shoes 39, 33 having friction bands or shoes 4U, 4!! thereon is adapted to engage the inner periphery of the annular flange 31 for driving the reel 2l. Said friction bands are yieldably engaged with the inner periphery of said annular flange by means of a pair of compression members, such as compression springs fil, 4l. As herein shown, one end of one of said compression springs encircles a lug 42 extending outwardly from one end of one of said friction bands, and the opposite end of said compression spring is adapted to engage a shouldered collar 4.3 abutting a nut 44 threaded on a stud 45 which stud is threaded within one end of the opposite shoe 33. The opposite compression spring is mounted in a similar manner and is disposed oppositely to the first mentioned compression spring so that movement of the nuts 44, 44 will adjust the tension of said springs and the driving force of said friction bands.

The shoes 3E, 3S and friction bands Mi, 43 are rotated by means which react against the compression springs 4l, il for yieldably driving the reel 2i from the driving member 23. Said means, as herein shown, comprises a pair of oppositely disposed links 41, 41 pivotally mounted in slots 48, i8 in the hub 3G on pivot pins 49, 49. Said pivot pins are disposed adjacent but eccentric of the axis of rotation of said driving member on opposite sides thereof and the centers of said pins are intersected by a diametral line passing through the center of rotation of said driving member.

As herein shown, each of the links 41 includes an internally threaded member 5B having a slot 5! formed therein, and an externally threaded member 52 threaded in said internally threaded member in such a manner that the length of said links may be adjusted. The slot 5l in each member 53 extends longitudinally thereof, when the parts are positioned as shown in Figure 5 and said slot is adapted to be pivotally connected to the inside of the shoe 39 adjacent the center thereof on a transversely disposed pin 53. Said pin is mounted between the side walls of a housing 54 depending from and disposed in the central portion of said shoe. The outer ends of said housing are beveled to permit rocking movement of said links with respect to said shoes in opposite directions, and thus permit driving of the drum 2l when the hub 36 is rotating in either direction.

When the hub 36 is rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, to wind cable on the reel, which is trained laterally from the machine from the top side of said reel as shown in Figure 1, the links 41, 41 will be angularly disposed with respect to a line intersecting the centers of the pins 53, 53 as is shown by dotted lines in Figure 5. Thus, rotation of said hub will cause said links to exert a pull against 1 the friction bands 40, 43 and rotate said friction bands. The pull of said links will also tend to move said friction bands towards the center of rotation of said driving member against the compression springs 4|, 4|.

When the torque required to wind cable on the reel is less than the force of friction of said friction bands on the inner periphery of said fiange, said reel will be rotated through said links, but when the pull on the cable becomes greater than the force of friction of said friction bands on the inner periphery of said flange, the torque on the hub 36 required to drive the reel will be increased to such an extent that the pull of said links on the shoes 39, 33 will be correspondingly increased. This will compress the compression springs 4l, 4| and contract said friction bands until the pull on the cable again decreases, at which time the torque on said hub will diminish and said friction bands will be expanded by said compression springs for driving said drum.

In a like manner, when the motor l5 is rotating in a direction to normally wind cable on the reel 2| and the machine is moving in a direction to unwind cable therefrom, the links 41, 41 will react against the shoes 33, 3E! and compress the springs 4|, 4|. This will contract the friction bands 4i?, 43 and release said friction bands from the inner periphery of said annular flange. Thus cable may be paid off said reel when the machine is moving away from the point of connection of the free end of said cable to the source of power, and the instant the machine moves towards the point of connection of the free end of said cable to the source of power, said reel will again be driven by said motor and cable will be wound thereon. Also when the machine is stationary with the motor running in a direction to wind cable on said reel, the force of friction of said friction bands against the inner periphery of said flange is sufficient to maintain the cable in a taut condition and permit said cable to be unwound from said drum against said friction bands or permit said bands to engage said drum to wind said cable on said drum the instant the machine moves in a direction to put slack on said cable.

While I have herein shown and described one form of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction or arrangements of parts herein shown and described eX- cept as specifically limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

.1. In a reeling mechanism, a cable reel drum, a cable adapted to be wound on said drum. a drive shaft, yieldable means releasable upon a predetermined load on said cable reel drum for driving said drum from said shaft and maintaining tension on said cable, while said drive shaft is continuously rotating in one direction, during stalling of said reel when the machine is stationary and the free end of said cable is connected to a source of power or during the unwinding operation comprising a driving member rotatable about an axis coaxial with the axis of rotation of said drum, an annular flange projecting outwardly from said drum, a pair of internal eX- panding friction bands having engaging faces corresponding to the inner periphery of said annular flange, compression springs interposed between opposite ends of said friction bands for yieldably engaging said friction bands with the inner periphery of said ange whereby rotatable movement of said bands will rotate said fiange and drum, and means connected between said driving member and friction bands for rotatably drivlng said friction bands when said driving member is rotating in either direction comprising a pair of oppositely disposed links, each of said links comprising a threaded member pivotally connected to said driving member adjacent to but eccentric of the center of rotation thereof,

and a slotted member having threaded engagement with said threaded member whereby the length of said links may be adjusted, and having slidable engagement With its associated friction band intermediate the ends thereof.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a shaft, a reel freely mounted on said shaft, a cable adapted to be Wound von said reel, a motor, and a drive connection from said motor to said reel releasable upon a predetermined load on said reel for driving said reel and maintaining tension on said cable While said motor is continuously rotating in one direction, during stalling of said reel When the machine is stationary and the free end of said cable is connected to a source of power, or during the unwinding operation comprising a hub on said shaft rotatably driven by said motor, an annuular flange projecting out- Wardly from said reel, a pair of opposed internal expanding friction bands of a contour correspending to the inner periphery of said ange disposed Within said flange and adapted to engage the inner periphery thereof, a pair of compression springs engaging opposite ends of said friction bands for engaging said bands with said flange, and means operating against said springs for rotating said bands and reel when said hub is driven in either direction comprising a pair of opposed links, each of said links including a threaded member piVotally connected to said hub adjacent to but on opposite sides of the centers thereof so their centers intersect a common line extending through the center of said driving member, and a slotted member having threaded engagement with said threaded member whereby the length of said links may be adjusted to compensate for Wear of said friction bands, said slotted member having a slot extending longitudinally therealong, and a pin extending through said slotted portion and connecting said link with said friction band intermediate the ends of said friction band.

FRANK CARTLIDGE. 

